


True Perfection

by katy15307



Series: Born on a Different Cloud [6]
Category: Oasis (Band), The Beatles
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 06:53:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8276782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katy15307/pseuds/katy15307
Summary: January 1998/ 1970





	

**Author's Note:**

> January 1998/ 1970

"Hey Mam!" Liam came walking through the door.

Of course my door was always open to my boys but he didn't half make me jump when he dropped by like this. He greeted me with a hug.

"Shall I put the kettle on?"

"Yeah, make John one too." He kissed my cheek.

"John's coming?" I asked wondering why they hadn't come in together.

"Yeah, he's sorting the car." He got comfy on the sofa.

"You two want to be careful in this weather." I warned him, it was January, cold, foggy, icy, snow everywhere, not weather I want my boy to be driving in.

"It'll be different in the states."

Before I'd had chance to go to the kitchen John knocked on the door, he always knocked before he came in and I always told him there was no need for my son in law to knock. "Sorry, I forget you don't like it." he said this time.

He went and sat with Liam.

"I'll just make the tea then." I went in the kitchen attempting to listen in on their mutterings but they were quiet and I couldn't hear a thing over the kettle.

I wondered what this visit was in aid of, something seemed a little off about them but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"How've you two been?" I asked once I'd brought the tea through.

"Good, really busy." Liam said and John nodded in agreement. "What've you been doing?"

"Y'know, this and that." I didn't have much interesting to tell them.

We kept talking until I noticed Liam giving John looks, both of them looking quite nervous. "What's the matter?"

"What d'you think about becoming a nan?" Liam blurted.

I didn't know what to say, I didn't think any of my sons were ready for it, especially not Liam, he was still my baby. I didn't think I'd be talking grandchildren with my son who married a man.

"I would love to."

"You're in luck Nan, we're having a kid." he announced.

I smiled from ear to ear. "Really?"

"Yeah, dead serious." he nodded.

"How?" I felt awful as soon as I said it. "I mean are you adopting or...?"

"Aren't you happy for us?" Liam asked.

"Yes! Of course I am, very." I was so overwhelmed with emotion that it had come out wrong. "It's just..."

"Not normal?"

John took his hand. "Calm down, y'can't start snapping when people ask."

"Sorry Mam, I know y'didnt mean it like that." Liam immediately apologised. "We're not adopting, we've got a surrogate."

"You know normal don't mean nothing." I dismissed his little outburst. "Who's your surrogate?"

"Cynthia." John revealed. "We're really close but I still can't believe she agreed to it."

He and her had been best friends since they met in college, she was a lovely, sweet girl but I couldn't believe she'd be so kind either. "Is she pregnant already?"

John got his wallet out and passed me an envelope. They both stayed quiet as I opened it up and pulled out a baby scan.

"Oh my God, you're really pregnant." I said excitedly.

"Well I'm not personally but yeah we are." John joked.

"I'm too young to be a Nan!" I couldn't stop looking at my little grandchild in the making.

"You'll just have to mature in the next seven months" Liam said cheekily.

"Just remember I've seen everything with you three." I thought I knew it all after Paul and Noel, nothing prepared me for raising Liam.

"You can do all the babysitting then, Mam."

"They'll be here all the time, don't you worry."

"Oh good, we'll have no trouble with touring." John commented. "Or whatever Yoko's got in store."

Liam's face twitched into a look of disgust for a second, he probably didn't realise he'd done it but it was clear he wasn't happy with John flouting the fact that he'd left, that he was leaving the Beatles to work with her.

"You'll still tour with a new baby?" I questioned ignoring him mentioning that name.

"We don't have much of a choice over it..."

"Our Noel's gonna kill me when he finds out." Liam interrupted. "He'll make us take on extra gigs and whatever just to punish me."

"Don't be silly. Haven't you told anyone else?"

"No, not yet. we've come straight from dropping Cyn off after the scan." John explained. "Liam's been dying to tell you, hardly wanted to visit in case it slipped out."

"Shut it." Liam nudged him. "She's been pregnant ten weeks, was so hard not to tell ya all that time."

"What about her family? Do they know?"

"She's not really showing yet and she still wants to wait until fourteen weeks before she tells anyone." John explained.

"That's gonna be a big shock."

"She told them she was gonna do it for us, it's not like they don't know nothing." Liam shrugged.

"So who's the actual father?"

"He is, that way I can divorce him and run if parenting's not for me." Liam joked.

"Don't be daft." I shook my head. "You'll both do great."

"You'll knock us into shape of we're not." John said.

"Too right." I stood up by the fireplace and put the scan with the family photos. "I'm gonna keep this on display right here."

"No you're not." Liam protested. "What if, on the off chance me brothers come round before they've been told, by me?"

"You'd better tell them then cos it's staying right there until I get new ones and then baby photos." I told him. "Have you got a due date?"

"8th of August." John revealed.

...

Noel rang unexpectedly a few days later. As Liam insinuated he didn't get in touch too often, he hadn't ever completely forgotten about me but I wished I heard from him as much as I heard from Liam and Paul.

"Have you heard this?"

"Noel, how are you?"

"Er, I'm alright Mam."

"Are you eating?"

"Yeah, good stuff now it's not me in the kitchen."

"That's good." It was a relief to hear although he was the other side of the world, on tour, God knows what he, Liam and the others were fueling themselves with. "How's Meg?"

"Yeah, she's alright too." he answered before realising I'd distracted him. "Forget all that, listen to this Mam!"

"What is it?"

"Have you heard the news?"

"About what?"

"Our Kid, has he told you?"

"I don't know until you tell me what he's told you."

"They're having a baby. A. Fucking. Baby."

"Yeah, they told me."

"And you're fine with it?" He sounded like a child having a tantrum over their new sibling, not an adult, not the baby's uncle.

"They've been married a few years now, it's only natural they'd want to add to their family."

"Then get a cat or a dog or a fucking goldfish!" he raised his voice. "He couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery, how's he meant to bring up a kid?"

"He's twenty five, he's growing up."

He scoffed.

"Whether you like it or not your brother is an adult and him and his husband are having a child." I told him sternly. "If you've got a problem, you're the one who needs to grow up."

"I don't!" he answered sharply. "Why though when Bonehead's always going on about missing his kids? We can't have that from the lead singer!"

"Some things in life are bigger than your career, this is one of them. You'll understand when you and Meg..."

"We're not having kids. I'm dedicated to taking my band to the top, it's a shame not everyone is so committed."

"Don't be daft Noel, he loves Oasis just as much as you do."

"We'll see, won't we." he answered sharply unable to keep control of his emotions.

"Have a good tour, don't go starting fights over this."

"I don't start anything, it's always him!"

...

It didn't take long for the tabloids to get a hold of the story. I knew they had no limit to how low they would go but I still can't believe how they treated my sons. This time they jumped to fucking ridiculous conclusions in their attempts to slander Liam and John. They flooded their rags with accusations that John had cheated and they'd bought the baby to cover it up.

Liam and John were gone, they were probably unaware of what the British gutter press were spurting, I hoped they didn't know for Oasis' tour's sake. I felt for Cynthia, she was completely caught up in all of this when she'd done nothing to put herself in the public eye.

Cynthia came to my door distraught. With Liam on tour in America and John away with Yoko hosting a peace festival or something in Canada, she turned to me.

I let her in and she talked and she cried.

"How can they publish so many lies?" she sniffed once she'd told me everything through sobs and tears..

"It's their jobs, the truth just wouldn't sell like that shite does." I tried to assure her, to convince her to think nothing of it.

"Everyone thinks I'm a whore, famous John Lennon's whore, they're all going to be looking at me, judging me."

"They won't, everyone'll forget as soon as they pick on the next celebrity."

"I'll have a big, fat sign reminding them all." She heald her hands out in front of her stomach as if she was heavily pregnant.

"All you can do is hold your head up high, you're doing an amazing thing for Liam and John, that's what we'll never forget."

"You don't understand, my parents... they believe every word of it." She broke out sobbing again. "They, they told me not to phone, not to visit, nothing."

"They'll calm down..."

"I can't go back to Liverpool, I can't face everyone, especially not those horrible reporters! What am I going to do?"

"You can stay here by all means, until things calm down and then you're going home and carrying on as normal knowing you've got nothing to hide."

"Thank you so much, Peggy." she tried to smile, wiping away her tears. "I don't know what I'd have done without you to turn to."

As I'd told her, her parents hadn't disowned her, they came over a few days later and patched up their relationship. I almost wished they hadn't, it was so nice having her around the house but she went back to Liverpool with them.

I got the looks and the whispers too when I was in town, especially when I was buying things for the baby which was every time I saw baby aisles, I could've given all the gossips a good slap.

She brought me new scans when she had them done, she could've found out the baby's sex but the boys had decided to wait. I tried to talk her into finding out, just for me since I was dying to know but she insisted it was their baby, their decision.

...

Liam came over on his own as he often did. It was April and he'd been back from traveling the world about a week.

We talked for ages about all sorts, his band mostly and then we turned to Cynthia and the baby and then I found out what he was here for.

"Mam." Liam looked at me with vulnerability. "John's cheating on me."

"Don't be daft, he loves you, he wouldn't." I was quick to deny it although I didn't know John all that well and I certainly didn't know what he did day to day.

"He's spending all his time with her though."

"Who?"

"Cynthia!" he exclaimed. "They used to go out and now they're fucking back together, having the baby. He don't need me when he's got everything with her."

I knew this would happen as soon as they said they'd chosen Cynthia rather than follow the official route and use a proper surrogate. I didn't blame him for getting suspicious but it was nonsense.

"That's ridiculous, he loves you, he wouldn't." I insisted. "I'm sure they're just meeting for your baby."

"Then why aren't I involved?"

"I don't know but I highly doubt him cheating on you, especially with Cyn."

"Why? They were together before, they shagged to get the baby. What's stopping them?"

"He loves you, that's why. You're making summat out of nothing."

"What about Yoko? She's always so..."

"No way, Liam."

Days later the Beatles officially split which did nothing to improve Liam's attitude towards John, he'd never admit it but we all knew he'd hoped the Beatles would find a way to keep working together. He certainly didn't want John's focus to continue so strongly with Yoko and her projects.

He had the whole of April, May, June and July to resolve his relationship issues with John before the baby was due. He said no more about it so I took it that all was well in their marriage but still I worried for them and the baby if they weren't the happiest of couples.

When they visited in all that time they definitely didn't look like a couple in trouble, they were happy, excited as the new arrival approached.

...

"Hey, a taxi's coming to pick you up." Liam said down the phone, giving me no time to respond.

"Why? Where am I going?"

"The hospital, don't worry, it's paid for and everything." he informed me casually.

"Has Cynthia gone into labour?" I got excited.

"Yeah, been a long fucking night."

The grandchild was on their way. I couldn't wait for the taxi, I couldn't wait to get to them and meet the baby.

I found the maternity ward and was directed to Cynthia's room. I opened the door to see Liam with a baby in his arms while Cyn was asleep in her bed and John in the chair.

I whispered "Hi."

Liam got up for me to sit in his chair and passed me the baby. He took the basic plastic chair next to it.

"So this is the grandchild." I whispered.

She was a tiny thing but a good healthy size for a newborn, dressed in an animal print onesie and fast asleep.

"Hmm, this is her." He reached over and stroked her cheek with his knuckle. "All she's done is sleep, barely bothered to cry when she came out."

"Let's hear it for the quiet ones, eh?" I said remembering how Paul and Noel were the same but Liam was hell to shut up right from the beginning. "How did it all go?"

"It was taking ages, she had all the drugs and that was it, here's the baby. She's just got to rest and stuff now."

"You look like you've snapped into it already." I complimented. "How are you after all that?"

"Easier than I thought but then the nurses come round doing stuff for us so I dunno." he shrugged. "I'm fucking shattered, just come from Wales as well, ain't I?"

He didn't look that tired but five gigs in the last week around the country and the new baby, he'll know that tired is soon enough. He'd only been back a day.

"You'll be fine when you're all ready to go home."

"Lucky she waited for me to be fucking done with touring for the year really." He rubbed his eyes. "D'ye mind watching her while I get some coffee or summat? Y'can put her in the cot thing. I'll bring you one."

"Tea, please." I nodded and he took off.

After Cynthia and John woke up, Liam sat with John. John's Aunt Mimi visited and I had to hand over the baby. She carefully held her in her arms. "So what have you called her?"

"Julia Cyndi Grace." John told us.

They had kept all of their naming discussion to themselves but I knew the name Julia or Julian for a boy would come in somewhere in tribute to John's mother.

"Oh John, you don't have to do that." Cynthia spoke up.

"We do, we've decided and that's that." John said firmly.

"Wasn't even his idea, it was mine." Liam revealed. "So you can't argue him out of it."

"No, thank you, I really appreciate the gesture." she smiled.

"It's a rather nice name." Mimi complimented as she rocked the baby.

We could only stay until the end of visiting time but I was back the next day, keen to bond with my grandchild. There was nothing for me to but cuddle little Julia and chat as the boys already looked almost expert with bottles, nappies and even her clothes with all the popper buttons.

Cynthia was eager to be discharged, she'd gathered her belongings and gotten dressed to leave. She took to hinting every time a nurse came to check on her and the baby but there was procedure that kept her hospitalised for a little while, as soon as she was allowed she was quick to say goodbye to Julia and headed home. As far as I knew she'd avoided the baby the best she could, it was sad to see but it was the only way she could stop herself from becoming attached.

Julia was discharged too so Liam and John took her home, gaining the parental order a few days later to make her legally theirs.


End file.
